Editing Las Vegas Raiders (section)

==== AFL champions (1967) ====
On the field, the team Davis had assembled steadily improved. Led by quarterback [[Daryle Lamonica]],<ref name="b621">{{cite web | last=Shrake | first=Edwin | title=A big raid that really paid off | website=Sports Illustrated Vault | date=1967-11-13 | url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1967/11/13/a-big-raid-that-really-paid-off | access-date=2024-08-10}}</ref> acquired in a trade with the [[Buffalo Bills]], the Raiders finished the [[1967 Oakland Raiders season|1967 season]] with a 13–1 record and won the [[1967 American Football League Championship Game|1967 AFL Championship]], defeating the [[1967 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]] 40–7. The win earned the team a trip to the [[Miami Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]] in Miami, Florida to participate in [[Super Bowl II]]. On January 14, 1968, the Raiders were defeated in the second-ever Super Bowl, losing 33–14 to [[Vince Lombardi]]'s [[1967 Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]].<ref name="o942">{{Cite news |last=Brady |first=Dave |date=1968-01-14 |title=Super Bowl II: Packers Dominate Super Bowl, 33-14 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/nfl/longterm/superbowl/stories/sb2.htm |access-date=2024-08-10 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref>

The following year, the [[1968 Oakland Raiders season|Raiders]] ended the [[1968 AFL season|1968 season]] with a 12–2 record and again winning the AFL West Division title. They lost 27–23 to the [[1968 New York Jets season|New York Jets]] in the [[1968 American Football League Championship Game|AFL Championship Game]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Championship - Oakland Raiders at New York Jets - December 29th, 1968 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196812290nyj.htm |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

Citing management conflicts with day-to-day coaching decisions, Rauch resigned as Raiders head coach on January 16, 1969, accepting the head coaching job of the Buffalo Bills.<ref name="b558">{{cite magazine | last=LaMarre | first=Tom | title=Coach Rauch Led Raiders to Super Bowl II | magazine=Sports Illustrated| date=2022-07-15 | url=https://www.si.com/nfl/raiders/the-black-hole-plus/coach-john-rauch-super-bowl-ii-al-davis | access-date=2024-08-10}}</ref><ref name="d599">{{cite web | title=Rauch reflects on a life of football | website=Tampa Bay Times | date=2005-10-08 | url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/01/03/rauch-reflects-on-a-life-of-football/ | access-date=2024-08-10}}</ref>

During the early 1960s, [[John Madden]] was a defensive assistant coach at [[San Diego State University]] under SDSU head coach [[Don Coryell]]. Madden credited Coryell as being an influence on his coaching. In 1967, Madden was hired by Al Davis as the Raiders linebacker coach. On February 4, 1969, after the departure of John Rauch, Madden was named the Raiders sixth head coach. Under Madden, the [[1969 Oakland Raiders season|1969 Raiders]] won the AFL West Division title for the third consecutive year with a 12–1–1 record. On December 20, 1969, the Raiders defeated the [[1969 Houston Oilers season|Oilers]] 56–7 in the AFL Division playoff game. In the [[1969 American Football League Championship Game|AFL Championship game]] on January 4, 1970, the Raiders were defeated by [[Hank Stram]]'s [[1969 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] 17–7.

In 1970, the AFL–NFL merger was completed after four years and the Raiders joined the Western Division of the [[American Football Conference]] (actually the AFL West with the same teams as in 1969, except for the [[Cincinnati Bengals]]) in the newly merged NFL. The first [[1970 Oakland Raiders season|post-merger season]] saw the Raiders win the AFC West with an 8–4–2 record and advance to the [[1970 AFC Championship Game|conference championship]], where they lost to the [[1970 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]]. Despite another 8–4–2 season in [[1971 NFL season|1971]], it was only good for second place in the AFC West, and the team failed to make the playoffs. When backup offensive lineman [[Ron Mix]] played, the 1971 Raiders had an eventual all-Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive line with tackle [[Art Shell]], guard [[Gene Upshaw]], center Jim Otto, and tackle [[Bob Brown (offensive lineman)|Bob Brown]].

[[File:John Madden in 2007.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[John Madden]] was the head coach of the Raiders for 10 seasons. Madden's overall winning percentage including playoff games ranks second in league history. He won a Super Bowl and never had a losing season as a head coach.]]
The teams of the 1970s were thoroughly dominant teams, with eight Hall of Fame inductees on the roster and a Hall of Fame coach in John Madden. The 1970s Raiders created the team's identity and persona as a team that was hard-hitting. Dominant on defense, with the crushing hits of safeties [[Jack Tatum]] and [[George Atkinson (safety)|George Atkinson]] and cornerback [[Skip Thomas]], the Raiders regularly held first place in the AFC West, entering the playoffs nearly every season. From 1973 through 1977, the Raiders reached the conference championship every year.

This was also the era of a bitter rivalry between the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and Raiders. In the 1970s, the Steelers and Raiders were frequently the two best teams in the AFC and, arguably, the NFL. The teams would meet on five occasions in the playoffs, and the winner of the Steelers-Raiders game went on to win the Super Bowl in three of those instances, from 1974 to 1976. The rivalry garnered attention in the sports media, with controversial plays, late hits, accusations and public statements.

The rivalry began with and was fueled by a controversial last-second play in their first playoff game in [[1972 NFL season|1972]]. That season the [[1972 Oakland Raiders season|Raiders]] achieved a 10–3–1 record and an AFC West title. In the divisional round, the Raiders would lose to the [[1972 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]] 13–7 on the controversial play that has become known as the "[[Immaculate Reception]]".

The [[1973 Oakland Raiders season|Raiders]] and [[1973 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]] would meet again the [[1973 NFL season|following season]] as the Raiders won the AFC West again with a 9–4–1 record. Lamonica was replaced as starting quarterback early in the season by [[Ken Stabler]]. The Raiders defeated Pittsburgh 33–14 in the divisional round of the playoffs to reach the AFC Championship, but lost 27–10 to the [[1973 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]].

In [[1974 NFL season|1974]] [[1974 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland]] had a 12–2 regular season, which included a nine-game winning streak. They beat the [[1974 Miami Dolphins season|Dolphins]] 28–26 in the divisional round of the playoffs in a see-saw battle remembered as the "Sea of Hands" game.<ref>National Football League lore</ref> They then lost the AFC Championship to the [[1974 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]], who went on to win the Super Bowl. The Raiders were held to only 29 yards rushing by the Pittsburgh defense, and late mistakes turned a 10–3 lead at the start of the fourth quarter into a disappointing 24–13 loss.

In the [[1975 NFL season|1975 season]] opener, the [[1975 Oakland Raiders season|Raiders]] beat [[1975 Miami Dolphins season|Miami]] and ended their 31-game home winning streak. With an 11–3 record, they defeated [[1975 Cincinnati Bengals season|Cincinnati]] 31–28 in the divisional playoff round. Again, the Raiders faced the [[1975 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Steelers]] in the conference championship, eager for revenge. According to Madden and Davis, the Raiders relied on quick movement by their wide receivers on the outside sidelines – the deep threat, or 'long ball' – more so than the Steelers of that year, whose offense was far more run-oriented than it would become later in the 1970s. Forced to adapt to the frozen field of Three Rivers Stadium, with receivers slipping and unable to make quick moves to beat coverage, the Raiders lost, 16–10. The rivalry had now grown to hatred, and became the stereotype of the 'grudge match.' Again, the Raiders came up short, as the Steelers won the AFC Championship and then went on to another Super Bowl title.